UAE Stock Market Gains AED 12 Billion in Weekly Valuation Boost

UAE stock markets gained 12 billion dirhams in market value last week, with Dubai Financial Market leading the charge at nearly 10 billion dirhams while Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange added 2.1 billion dirhams. Both markets closed higher after three consecutive days of gains, signaling renewed investor confidence in the region's financial sector.

The performance marks a solid week for UAE equities. Abu Dhabi's index climbed 0.73% to close at 10,072.8 points, while Dubai's benchmark rose 1.06% to 5,917.6 points. Trading activity remained robust across both exchanges, with total liquidity reaching 10.27 billion dirhams as investors traded 2.19 billion shares through over 154,000 transactions.

**Abu Dhabi Shows Foreign Interest**

Foreign non-Arab investors were net buyers in Abu Dhabi last week, purchasing 523.43 million dirhams more than they sold. This buying interest suggests international investors see value in the capital's listed companies at current levels.

UAE nationals dominated trading activity, accounting for 58.8% of transaction value and 58.6% of volume. But they were net sellers, offloading 366.07 million dirhams worth of shares. Institutional investors picked up the slack, recording net purchases of 269.86 million dirhams.

The week's trading saw 52 companies rise while 38 declined and 33 remained unchanged. Abu Dhabi's total market capitalization now stands at 3.111 trillion dirhams, up from 3.109 trillion the previous week.

**Dubai Sees Heavy Foreign Selling**

Dubai told a different story with foreign investors. While foreigners bought 1.762 billion dirhams worth of shares (37.32% of total purchases), they sold 3.38 billion dirhams (71.68% of total sales). This resulted in net foreign selling of 1.622 billion dirhams.

The selling pressure didn't derail Dubai's market performance, though. Strong local demand helped push the index higher despite the foreign outflows. Dubai's market cap reached 1.008 trillion dirhams, up from 998.6 billion dirhams the week before.

For regional investors, these numbers reflect the ongoing shift in market dynamics as oil economies diversify and attract different types of capital flows. The contrast between Abu Dhabi's foreign buying and Dubai's foreign selling highlights how investors view each market's prospects differently, even within the same country.